Area Muslims denounce bombings

Saturday

Apr 20, 2013 at 6:00 AMApr 20, 2013 at 6:38 AM

By Paula Owen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

As details emerged Friday about the brothers suspected in Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon, linking them to the Chechen region that has been a hotbed for Islamic extremism, Muslims throughout Worcester County decry the acts and the radicalization of their faith.

Muslim leaders say Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, ethnic Chechen brothers who had lived in Dagestan, which neighbors Chechnya in southern Russia, had to be mentally ill to commit the heinous crimes they allegedly committed and that their acts had more to do with their mental states than their possible ties with Islam.

At the Worcester Islamic Center on East Mountain Street, Muslims were denouncing the unspeakable acts and praying for the victims of the bombings.

Taymullah Abdur-Rahman, whose hometown is Boston, was guest imam (speaker) at the Worcester Islamic Center on East Mountain Street on Friday afternoon.

The 37-year-old delivered a powerful sermon to hundreds of Muslims, saying the Muslim communities in Worcester and Boston are mourning for the victims of Monday’s bombings and praying for Boston.

While he delivered the sermon, the extensive manhunt continued for the younger of the brothers, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in the metro area, and Bostonians remained in a state of lockdown in their homes.

Before the prayer, Brother Abdur-Rahman said he was able to make it into Worcester on Friday morning because he was staying on the South Shore.

“We’re hurt, were shocked and we’re in pain, and we’re mourning for the loss of life from this unspeakable act of violence against all the people of Massachusetts,” he said. “It is one of the most unspeakable acts I have witnessed as a Bostonian, and we condemn them. Islam is categorically against this behavior. We’re praying for Boston and that its citizens are given justice and hoping (the suspect) is caught without any more harm or destruction.”

He called for an end to the radicalization of Islam, and said terrorists who commit such heinous acts in the name of Islam “hijack” the Muslim faith.

“These acts are categorically condemned in the Quran and by the Muslim majority,” he said. “Muslims have to begin to speak out against these acts more assertively and collaborate with other faiths and local governments so that the true tenets of our faith can be known. In the future, we need to do a better job countering it by educating the public against those who are ignorant and evil and hijack our faith.”

“Religion doesn’t tell you to do that,” Mr. Ali said. “They are making a peaceful religion look bad.”

Ziad Ramadan, chairman of the board for the center, said all Americans need to unite.

“There is no question we condemn it and feel for the families and victims,” Mr. Ramadan said.

He said he is also heartbroken over the shooting death of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Thursday night.

“It is my alma mater, and to see a policeman die like that breaks my heart,” he said. “We as Americans need to stay united and need to focus on preventing other attacks. We can’t let the enemy get what they want. We need to stay united and honor the victims by not letting it affect our lifestyle.”

Mohamed A. Abdelhamed, who moved to the U.S. from Egypt in 1978, was worshiping at the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester on Laurel Street on Friday.

“Our religion is not like that,” the 54-year-old Muslim said. “To kill innocent people is not right. It doesn’t matter what religion or where you are from. In our religion, to just think about killing is a sin. It is awful to hear what is going on.”

He, too, said he is praying for the victims and families.

At the Ahmadiyya mosque on Main Street in Fitchburg, Bashir U. Mehmud and his wife, Farida Mehmud — who moved to the U.S. in 1977 from their native Pakistan — said the Ahmadis are mourning and calling for unity against extremism.

“American Muslims mourn for the Boston Marathon victims, and the Muslim community condemns the bombings and calls for unity against extremism,” the 70-year-old president of the Fitchburg chapter for the international Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said. “(We) express our most heartfelt sentiments to the victims and families and to those affected by the bombings in Boston and pray that God Almighty gives them patience, comfort and strength during this time of immense struggle.”

He said the Fitchburg chapter is available to provide assistance to those affected by the tragedy.

“We condemn this horrific act in the strongest possible manner, and the community prays that those responsible for the bombings are swiftly brought to justice and that peace is once again restored,” he added. “We want our fellow Americans to be confident that we stand united with them, especially in this difficult time.”